The use of spring loaded devices for mounting earth working tools upon or to be carried by tool bars is well known in the prior art. Such art extends back to the use of spring loaded harrows or rakes and disc plows and includes, in this field, prior art patents to Anderson et al, U.S. Pat. No. 889,885; Stimson, U.S. Pat. No. 390,812 and Gardner, U.S. Pat. No. 3,825,073. Similar references include specific application devices which incorporate spring loading units such as the reference to Dietrich.
In applicant's analysis of these references and to the extent he is aware of the available commercial art, all of these devices have one common fault. This fault for which no provision is made is the lateral instability of the article.
In the harvesting of sugar beets or similar row crop article, the crop is specifically planted in carefully spaced rows and the harvesting must, of course, be made in accordance therewith. The harvesting of sugar beets is accomplished by providing a pair of angularly arranged wheels with the narrow dimension occurring when the wheels are at ground or picking level thus engaging the beet and pulling the same from the ground. As the wheel rotates, the beet is carried upwardly and at the upper rotation position the wheels are at their greatest spaced dimension and a reversally rotating paddle wheel assists in dislodging the beet from the picking wheels and directing the same rearwardly to the further gathering and cleaning equipment.
It should be obvious that lateral stability and guiding for these wheels is essential to, not only insure the alignment for picking but to prevent injury to any beets that would occur if the wheel were to ride over the beet.
The requirement for cushioning such a device and for permitting its upward movement should be obvious. Normally several of such picking devices are mounted transversally to the movement of the propelling vehicle on a common tool bar. If such cushioning were not provided, any upward forces due to hitting a rock or the like would be transmitted to this bar and this could result in, not only damage to the bar but also in disruption of the position of the other pickers.
It is therefore an object of applicant's invention to provide a cushioning mounting for beet harvesting devices which will permit the harvesting device to be shifted upwardly but will normally maintain the same in ground contact.
It a further object of applicant's invention to provide a cushioning mounting device for beet harvesting devices which will permit at least limited vertical shifting of the same but which will maintain the lateral position of the same during any vertical shifting of the same.
It is still a further object of applicant's invention to provide a mounting device for beet harvesting equipment to provide positive attachment means for the same to a tool bar.